When It Rains
by LostAngel16
Summary: Every day, Charlie Haas makes sure never to forget his departed brother. What makes tonight, above any other night, so special? A bully, a car trip, and a song in the stereo add to the mood. Read and find out more.


Title: When It Rains  
  
Author: Lost Angel  
  
Wrestlers Involved: Primarily Team Angle, but there's glimpses of Albert, John Cena, and Brock Lesnar, and a whole bunch of other guys are mentioned by name only.  
  
Content: It's rated PG, and I'm warning you...this is a sappy, emotional story. I advise you to keep the tissues near the computer, and for you to consider turning off the emo music. No sex, no violence, no implied sex, and a little implied violence. Not graphic violence, but violence. I'm done rambling.  
  
Oh yes...the following story also contains cheese. Why? It mostly takes place in Wisconsin.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the trademarks of A&W, Culver's, Arby's, or any of those nice landmarks I mentioned on the way to Milwaukee from Chicago. I've just seen them a lot. Oh yeah, those WWE guys too. I don't own them either. I've got a few wallpapers, a couple of action figures, and some magazines, but that doesn't make them my property. Vinnie Mac owns 'em. I just make up stories about 'em.  
  
Then there's that song. That song is property of the band Cold, and it can be found on their excellent CD "Year Of The Spider", in stores now. Not an ad. I promise.  
  
Distribution: Well, this is my first attempt at a fanfic, and my girl tells me that you gotta write this stuff. I don't mind if anyone wants to read it, and forward it to their buddies, all I mind is if you do it AND DON'T ASK ME!!! You can e-mail me, her, or find me on my AIM name (LostAnaAngel16), and I'll be sure to hear out your reasons for wanting to post it on your site, or use it as toilet paper.  
  
Song: "Rain Song" by Cold  
  
Okay...now you can read.  
  
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The locker room was still thinning out from the finish of the Smackdown taping. The guys were changing, and the guys were exchanging plans on where to go and what to do that night. Charlie Haas sat down, upset at himself. One of the more important spots in his match where he and his tag team partner faced Eddie Guererro and Tajiri went wrong. He had a mental lapse for a minute. Finally, he got a hard pat on the back.  
  
"Look at it this way...you performed the spot just like your brother Russ would...and Russ is dead!" the voice laughed. When Charlie turned around, it was the voice of Albert. Shelton Benjamin walked in just in time to hear a bunch of commotion. As he ripped through the crowd, he saw John Cena and Brock Lesnar restraining Charlie, and Chris Benoit and Rikishi holding back Albert.  
  
"What are you gonna do, Haas? Kill me? When I get there, I'll say hi to Russ for ya." Albert laughed. Charlie strained to break free, but Brock held him back.  
  
"It's cool, Char...he doesn't know any better." Brock said.  
  
"Get a grip, rookie...or I'll help you see your brother sooner than you think." Albert laughed. Nobody else did, not even his friends. A lot of the other people looked over at Charlie for his reaction. Charlie wouldn't let them see his pain. Shelton just looked over at him, and he, Brock, and John all just crowded around him.  
  
"It's okay guys...I just wanna get outta here. Meet ya'll in Milwaukee?" Charlie said.  
  
"Yeah...I got my portable DVD player fixed today, and John just bought Old School. I'll pick up a case, and we'll chill." Brock said.  
  
"Cool." was the only thing said by Charlie.  
  
It was around 10 PM. The rain started to pour as they were driving out of Chicago, on their way to Milwaukee. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin had just played their parts again to a success, again allowing the crowd to have a little fun at their expense. The shift usually worked in the manner that they'd alternate nights driving. Tonight's was Shelton. As he looked out to check for traffic, he noticed a set of earphones on Charlie's head.  
  
"Hey...you alright?" spoke Shelton.  
  
"Yeah...I'm cool." Charlie whispered. His words trailed off. Whatever was on his mind, or in his earphones, was taking him somewhere else.  
  
When it rains, I don't mind  
  
Let me stand here all night  
  
Did (s)he take her own life?  
  
Let me know (s)he's alright...  
  
And every time it rains  
  
I feel him (her) holding me  
  
And every time it rains  
  
Are the angels cryin'?  
  
"You did awesome tonight, Char, no matter if one of the spots went bad. The tug-of-war spot's really going over well. You and Eddie are really making it work." Shelton said, trying to break down the mood.  
  
"Eh...it's somethin'. Eddie's got the whole 'entertainment' aspect down. Danny and Cornette didn't have us doing a lot of things like this in Ohio. Brock and John said the same thing to me though." Charlie said. Shelton made the left turn and managed to get onto Highway 94, bringing them well onto their way towards Milwaukee. For a few moments, it was silence. To improve the mood, Shelton tried turning on the radio. First, he tried a little music of his own, when he reached into his CD case to find a Cold cd, one of the many bands they shared a liking for. Suddenly, as he skipped through the tracks to find something, inspiration hit him, and he spoke again.  
  
"Are you thinking about him?" he asked?  
  
"Who?" Charlie turned around from his view from the window and asked.  
  
"Russ." was the response.  
  
"...Yeah." Charlie whispered.  
  
"You really miss him, don't you?" Shelton thought aloud.  
  
"All the time. He and I would grow up, and we'd see so many of our friends not get along with their siblings, but with us, it was so different. People should be blessed to have the type of relationship with their sibling I did with Russ. Every now and then...I just miss him." Charlie finally said in a clearer voice, a certain sorrow seeming to creep out of his words.  
  
I'll stay strong, I'll be fine  
  
Carry on with my life  
  
I'll still stare at the sky  
  
Pray for rain all the time  
  
Why'd you run, did you hide?  
  
Why'd you leave no goodbye?  
  
When the clouds take the sky  
  
Does the storm give you life?  
  
Charlie and Shelton managed to just cross the border into Wisconsin, and they managed to see the same things every tourist would see passing by. The display of tanks, the outlet mall, the overwhelming amount of billboards for Culver's. They finally made a turn into Racine for a few minutes of rest. Shelton walked into the gas station and Arby's combination to grab a quick bottle of water and a sandwich, and Charlie pumped the gas. When Shelton came out, the car was unattended, and a note was on the windshield.  
  
"Shelton...at the A&W on the other side of the highway." it read. Shelton hopped in the car, and drove under the overpass to the A&W. Although it was closed, Charlie sat on one of the picnic tables there, getting drenched by the storm. This A&W was rather old school in nature. It was the type you could park your car and sit at an intercom to get your food. The old drive-thru style where waitresses on roller skates would bring you your food. Charlie sat down, munching on a processed sandwich purchased from the gas station.  
  
"What is wrong with you, man? It's pouring out here!" Shelton said, getting out of the car.  
  
"I...I just miss him, Shelton. Everything tonight just reminds me of him. He was my best friend, my brother, and the one person that knows EVERYTHING about me. Shelton...we're best friends, but you don't even know the half of it with me. When we'd grow up, Mom would tuck us in at night, and she'd tell us that when it rained outside, it was an angel's way of crying. I didn't think much about that ever...at least until Russ died. I never got to say goodbye to him. All I ever could do was watch as the monitors told me he flatlined. I couldn't even be there that night, because I had to wrestle Basham! Ever since he died...I just feel so empty...like the biggest part of me has been taken away. Why couldn't it have been me?! Why couldn't I have gone too?" Those last words were spoken with a whimper. Charlie tucked his head down and he wept. Shelton was amazed. He had known Charlie for several years, as they both got their starts in Ohio Valley Wrestling. He remembered great times with Russ too. The three of them, and on occasions, joined by John Cena, or Randy Orton, would crowd into the lousy one-bedroom apartments in Louisville to all play poker and share stories of how "uncool" they thought Jim Cornette and Danny Davis were. Shelton saw this other side of his tag team partner, and now good friend...and he could only watch as he broke down. Shelton walked closer, and put an arm around the weeping Charlie.  
  
"I...I didn't mean to, Shelton." Charlie whimpered.  
  
"It's fine. I don't blame you. I think it's just only now sinking in with me." he responded. As he put an arm around Charlie, it became a hug between two friends. Although he'd never replace Russ, he knew that this was the moment they'd become best friends...as close as Charlie would allow. Shelton had a few tears developing too.  
  
"He misses you too...I think you know that." Shelton told his partner.  
  
"I know, Shelton...I know." he said, and he reached up to thank his partner with a return of the hug.  
  
It was around 2 AM when they finally made it into Milwaukee, before checking in to get a hotel room. Thankfully, Shelton made reservations as they left the Allstate Arena. The soaked tag-team walked in with their suitcases and duffle bags. As they got their room keys, John Cena walked up to them.  
  
"You guys look soaked." Cena said, laughing a bit.  
  
"I just n--"  
  
"Charlie just needed to fix the rental car's flat tire. Could you believe that?" Shelton said, covering for him.  
  
"Alright...well Brock got the case, but none of the liquor stores would buy his WWE Champ story. They all thought his id was a fake, so all we got was Mountain Dew. Can you two live with that?" Cena said with a laugh.  
  
"Works for me." said Charlie, when someone passed them by. It was Albert.  
  
"Hey...we all thought you were dead, Haas. Figured it was a temporary trip to find Russ!" Albert laughed, and John looked ready to restrain Charlie, before Charlie looked up at Albert.  
  
"Funny stuff, man...but you know what? You don't know the first thing about Russ, so what you say? It don't matter." spoke Charlie with remarkable restraint. He looked at John and Shelton and he walked off, leaving Albert dumbfounded. As Charlie and Shelton got to their hotel room, Charlie peeked out the window and noticed it was still raining.  
  
"If you don't want to go chill with Brock and JC, it's cool...I'll tell 'em." Shelton mentioned.  
  
"No...go on. I'll be there in like one second." Charlie said, and then heard the sound of a door shutting. He looked out the window and thought aloud.  
  
"Hey Russ...I hope I'm makin' you proud of me." Charlie wiped the tear from his eye and walked a couple doors down to Brock's room. John, Brock, Shelton, and the surprise of Sean O'Haire showed up.  
  
"Hey...it's an OVW reunion!" John laughed. The entire group, including Charlie laughed, and they all took their places, and it seemed like they all knew where to sit. One of the best spots to see the movie laid vacated though.  
  
It was where Russ usually sat.  
  
All the angels cry for me  
  
I'll never be the same... 


End file.
